Industrial gas burner package

ABSTRACT

An integral industrial burner package has been described. The burner housing includes a blower housing integral to the burner housing for housing a blower motor and fan. Burner components are mounted on the blower housing and are cooled by blower inlet air flowing over the components. The blower output air flows through a collection chamber integral to the housing and into an air conduit formed within the burner housing. A fuel conduit is provided within the air conduit and is connected to a nozzle internal to a combustion chamber where the fuel and air is mixed and ignited.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to industrial burners and more particularly to integrated industrial burner assemblies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] There are various known forms of industrial burners such as air heating burners, furnace burners, tube firing burners, immersion tube burners, and radiant tube burners. The following U.S. Patents commonly owned by the present Assignee disclose various types of modern industrial burners and are hereby incorporated by reference to illustrate some the exemplary various types of the aforementioned burners and the environments in which the present invention may operate: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,050,809 to Fayerman, 6,024,083 to Smirnov; 5,934,898 to Fayerman; 5,647,739 to McDonald; 5,611,684 and 3,265,376 to Spielman.

[0003] With increasing energy costs, more sophisticated processes and stricter emission codes, greater demands are being made on burner performance. Because of these demands, industrial burners need to be very durable and flexible. For example, industrial burners typically must have turn down ratios greater than 10 to 1, preferably greater than 20 to 1 (e.g. currently up to 30 or 40 to 1 or more). The turn down ratio is the highest capacity output at “high fire rate” divided by the lowest capacity output for the burner at “low fire rate.” As such, industrial burners have a very wide variety of heat outputs that is necessary for industrial applications. In contrast, the turn down ratios on more conventional specific purpose burners is typically about 3 to 1. As such, conventional specific purpose burners are not suitable to industrial applications, and they typically are not constructed heavy-duty enough to withstand the environmental loads imposed on industrial burners.

[0004] Installation of industrial burners is generally a custom installation where burner components are mounted in a variety of different places to meet space and other specific constraints. This custom installation results in increased development and manufacturing costs because of the different component package configurations and mounting hardware that is needed for the installation. What is needed is an industrial burner package configuration that is space efficient and that addresses the need for custom installations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The general objective of the present invention is to reduce volume requirements of the burner installation.

[0006] It is an objective according to one aspect to integrate the blower into the housing of an industrial burner.

[0007] In accordance with this objective, the present invention is directed towards an industrial burner in which a blower motor and blower are integrated into the industrial blower housing. The blower has an air flow output to a nozzle (or a fuel and air premixer) for mixing the air with a regulated flow of fuel from the fuel control valve. An igniter is arranged in close proximity to the nozzle for igniting mixed fuel and air. The fuel rate is controlled by an electronic controller.

[0008] It is an aspect of the present invention that the motor of the blower is controlled by the electronic controller using a variable frequency drive. The electronic controller can set the control rate of the fuel control valve in proportion or any other relation as desired to the blower control signal such that no other feedback is necessary in order to achieve the correct air to fuel mixture at the nozzle.

[0009] It is a further aspect of the present invention that the intake air to the blower passes over components of the industrial burner to provide convection cooling of the components.

[0010] Other objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

[0012]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a burner system in accordance with the instant invention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the burner system of FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional front view of the blower housing of the burner system of FIG. 1;

[0015]FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the mounting flange and air and fluid conduits of the burner system of FIG. 1 with the combustion chamber and nozzle removed;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a rotated isometric left-side view of the burner system of FIG. 1 with the combustion chamber and cover removed;

[0017]FIG. 6 is a rotated isometric right-side view of the burner system of FIG. 1 with the combustion chamber and cover removed; and

[0018]FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the burner system of FIG. 1 with the cover removed.

[0019] While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Turning now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, an embodiment of an industrial burner system 20 is illustrated. The industrial burner system 20 includes a housing 22. Integral to the housing 22 is an air conduit 24 and fuel conduit 26. A flange 28 is attached to the air conduit 24 for mounting the industrial burner system 20. A combustion chamber 30 is located on the same axis that the air conduit 24 is located. During operation, fuel and air are mixed proximate to a nozzle 50 (see FIG. 2) and combusted in the combustion chamber 30. A valve seat 32 is provided for mounting a fuel valve (not shown). In one embodiment, the fuel valve is a combination control and shutoff valve. An air pressure fitting 34 is attached to the housing 22.

[0021] As discussed herein below and shown in FIGS. 2-7, a blower and other burner components are mounted within the housing 22. A cover 36 encloses the components. The cover 36 has a meshed opening 38 that is used to support a filter 54 (see FIG. 2). The cover 36 is attached to the housing 22. A sight glass 40 is provided on the cover 36 to allow an operator to have a visual indication of a flame safety module 52 (see FIG. 2). The cover 36 is attached to the housing 22 and held in place by mounting bolts 42 connected to threaded fasteners 44. Alternatively, the cover 36 may be held in place by screws, nut and bolt combination and other fastening methods.

[0022]FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional side view of the burner system 20 of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1. The arrows indicate air flow within the burner system 20. A filter 54 for filtering input air to the blower 56 is attached to the cover 36. The blower 56 provides combustion air to the combustion chamber 30 via the air conduit 24. The blower 56 comprises blower motor 58 and fan 60 in a squirrel cage configuration and may be operated using a constant speed control or variable speed control of the blower motor 58. A capacitor 62 is used to assist start-up of the blower motor 58. The blower 56 is mounted into a blower housing 64 that is integral to the housing 22. The blower housing 64 has an inlet air opening 66 (see FIG. 3) and the blower housing 64 merges into a collection chamber housing 68 (see FIG. 3). The blower output air flows into collection chamber 70. The collection chamber 70 radially increases from the blower output and merges into the air conduit 24. In one embodiment, the blower 56 is controlled by an electronic controller (not shown) using a variable frequency drive. The electronic controller sets the control rate of a fuel control valve mounted on valve seat 32 in proportion or any other relation as desired to the blower control signal such that no feedback is necessary in order to achieve the correct air to fuel mixture at the nozzle.

[0023] Within the air conduit 24 is the fuel conduit 26. The nozzle 50 is attached to the fuel conduit 26. A flame detection/monitoring device 72 (see FIG. 4) is located near the nozzle 50. The flame detection/monitoring device 72 is housed in protective sleeve 75 and is used to detect the presence of flame during operation of the industrial burner system 20. In other embodiments, the flame detection/monitoring device 72 continually monitors burner flame and can be a conventional ultraviolet transducer, ultraviolet/infrared transducer, or flame rod sensor as known by those skilled in the art. The flame detection/monitoring device 72 is connected to flame safety module 52 via a wire. An igniter 76 (see FIG. 4) is also located near the nozzle 50 and it produces a spark to ignite the fuel and air mixture. The igniter 76 is housed in protective sleeve 77 and is connected to igniter module 80 by igniter wire 78 (see FIG. 3).

[0024] Turning now to FIGS. 3-7, a pressure switch 82 and airflow actuator 84 are mounted on the blower housing 64 and collection chamber housing 68 respectively. The pressure switch 82 monitors air pressure and prevents the burner system 20 from operating if the air pressure is outside of predetermined safety limits. Airflow actuator 84 regulates air flow to the combustion chamber 30. Relay module 86, which contains relays to provide power to burner system components, is attached to the blower housing 64 via mounting bracket 88 (see FIG. 7). During operation, the blower 56 provides the additional benefit of cooling burner control components such as the flame safety module 52, igniter 80, pressure switch 82, and airflow actuator 84 by convection and conductive cooling. The convection cooling occurs as a result of the blower inlet air flowing over the components. The conductive cooling occurs as a result of the components being mounted on the blower housing 64 or collection chamber housing 68 and air flowing on the internal side of the blower housing 64 and collection chamber housing 68. Power and control leads 90 are routed out of the side of housing 22 for connection with a power source and externally mounted controller. The power and control leads may be keyed to prevent improper connections.

[0025] An integral industrial burner package has been described. The package integrates the blower into the burner housing and burner system components are mounted on the blower housing or collection chamber housing. The mounting of the components on the housings provides the benefit of convection cooling of the components with blower inlet air and conductive cooling of the components through the connection to the housings. The mounting of burner system components in the burner housing also reduces manufacturing costs due to the reduction in the need to customize burner installations.

[0026] The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar references in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. Numerous modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An integral industrial burner system for combusting a fuel and air mixture comprising: a burner housing including a combustion chamber and forming a blower housing integral therewith; a blower mounted within the blower housing, the blower comprising an electrical motor and a fan for generating an air flow output; a nozzle mounted in the burner housing and extending into the combustion chamber, fluidically connected to the air flow output and adapted to convey gas fuel and air for combustion; a fuel conduit extending into the burner housing, the fuel conduit connected to the nozzle; an igniter mounted on the blower housing proximate the nozzle for igniting gaseous fuel and air; and an electronic fuel control valve interposed in the fuel conduit for regulating gaseous fuel flow to the nozzle.
 2. The integral industrial burner system of claim 1 further comprising a flame safety module for monitoring burner flame, the flame safety module attached to the blower housing.
 3. The integral industrial burner system of claim 1 wherein the burner system housing further comprises a cover having an air filter opening for receiving an air filter, the air filter opening located in an air flow inlet path of the blower.
 4. The integral industrial burner system of claim 1 further comprising a pressure switch mounted on the blower housing.
 5. The integral industrial burner system of claim 1 wherein the burner housing further includes a radially increasing collection chamber connected to the blower housing, the collection chamber receiving the air flow output.
 6. The integral industrial burner system of claim 5 wherein an axis of the collection chamber is perpendicular to an axis of the combustion chamber.
 7. The integral industrial burner system of claim 1 further comprising a mounting flange on an end of the fuel conduit for mounting the electronic fuel control valve.
 8. The integral industrial burner system of claim 1 wherein the blower is driven at variable speeds via a variable frequency drive and the electronic fuel control valve is modulated to regulate fuel flow to the burner nozzle, the modulation of the electronic fuel control valve being related to the variable frequency drive to provide a selected fuel to air mixture.
 9. An integral industrial burner package comprising: a burner system housing having a blower housing integrally formed therewith, the burner system housing having an air conduit and a fuel conduit, the blower housing connected to a radially increasing collection chamber that opens into the air conduit; a combustion chamber attached to the burner system housing; a nozzle mounted in the air conduit and extending into the combustion chamber, fluidically connected to the air flow output and adapted to convey gas fuel and air for combustion, the nozzle connected to the fuel conduit; a blower mounted within the blower housing, the blower comprising an electrical motor and a fan for generating an air flow output, the blower positioned below the air conduit; and an igniter mounted on the blower housing for igniting gaseous fuel and air.
 10. The integral industrial burner package of claim 9 further comprising a fuel control valve interposed in the fuel conduit for regulating gaseous fuel flow to the nozzle.
 11. The integral industrial burner package of claim 9 wherein the igniter is mounted on the blower housing proximate the nozzle.
 12. The integral industrial burner package of claim 9 further comprising a flame safety module mounted on the blower housing, the flame safety module monitoring at least one parameter of a flame produced when the gaseous fuel and air is ignited.
 13. The integral industrial burner package of claim 12 further comprising a fuel control valve interposed in the fuel conduit for regulating gaseous fuel flow to the nozzle and wherein the fuel control valve shuts off gaseous fuel flow if the flame safety module detects that the parameter of the flame is outside limits.
 14. The integral industrial burner package of claim 9 further comprising an airflow actuator mounted to one of the blower housing and collection chamber.
 15. The integral industrial burner package of claim 14 further comprising a pressure switch mounted to the blower housing.
 16. The integral industrial burner package of claim 9 wherein the burner system housing further comprises a mounting flange for mounting the burner system housing.
 17. The integral industrial burner package of claim 9 wherein the burner system housing further comprises a cover having an air filter opening for receiving an air filter, the air filter opening located in an air flow inlet path of the blower.
 18. The integral industrial burner package of claim 9 further comprising: a flame safety module mounted on the blower housing, the flame safety module monitoring at least one parameter of a flame produced when the gaseous fuel and air is ignited; a fuel control valve interposed in the fuel conduit for regulating gaseous fuel flow to the nozzle, the fuel control valve shutting off gaseous fuel flow if the flame safety module detects that the parameter of the flame is outside limits; an airflow actuator mounted to the collection chamber; and a pressure switch mounted to the blower housing.
 19. The integral industrial burner package of claim 18 wherein the burner system housing further comprises: a mounting flange for mounting the burner system housing; a cover having an air filter opening for receiving an air filter, the air filter opening located in an air flow inlet path of the blower.
 20. The integral industrial burner package of claim 19 wherein the blower housing and collection chamber provide conductive cooling of burner control components during operation of the blower. 